Board To Rule On Future Of Oak Forest Hospital
OAK FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- A state board's public hearing is set for Thursday morning on the future of Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County, and the City of Oak Forest is itching to develop the property.
But as WBBM Newsradio 780's Steve Miller reports, the City of Oak Forest has no real role in whether its namesake hospital stays open.
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Oak Forest Mayor Hank Kuspa tells Newsradio 780 he would like to annex as much of that Oak Forest Hospital land as the city can get its hands on.
"We're sorely lacking in commercial property," Kuspa says.
He says the city is surrounded on three sides by Cook County Forest Preserves and other county land.
"159th Street and Cicero Avenue - a major intersection for the southern suburbs - is a parcel I'd love to develop eventually," Kuspa says, commercially and for recreation.
But he says he would like to "preserve the pristine areas."
Kuspa tells Newsradio 780 the land would be "ideal a public walkway, for art festivals. It could be a beautiful attractive area that would bring a lot of traffic into our community."
Kuspa says he would love to develop some ballfields, too. He says the "southern suburbs could be a real hub for all kinds of tournaments and ballgames" for children.
But Kuspa adds, "If the need is there for the common good" - meaning keeping the hospital open in some form - he'll support the decision.
The county wants to close the hospital to save money, and is now proposing a 24-hour immediate care center. The state has previously denied the county's request to shutter the facility.
